By Dr. Lorenca Bejko
The Foreign Minister of Armenia, Mr. Ararat Mirzoyan, visited the Netherlands for a working visit in February 2024. During his visit, he had several significant meetings that focused on strengthening Armenia’s bilateral relations with the Netherlands, expanding the Armenian-Dutch bilateral agenda and political dialogue, and discussing the perspectives of cooperation in various directions, including for further strengthening Armenia’s resilience.
Mirzoyan met with H.E. Mr. Marcin Czepelak, the Secretary-General of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, to discuss the functioning of the Permanent Court of Arbitration and the possibilities of interaction between Armenia and international judicial bodies, including the PCA. They also exchanged views on the general security situation in the South Caucasus and the existing challenges.
Mirzoyan also met with Mr. Raymond de Roon, the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives (Parliament) of the Netherlands, and members of the committee representing the majority of parliamentary parties. During the meeting, Mirzoyan noted that Armenia is on the path of democratic reforms and presented to the parliamentarians Armenia’s vision on establishing stability and peace in the region and the efforts undertaken in that direction.
He emphasized the key principles of the Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization process, including the importance of unequivocal respect for territorial integrity and inviolability of borders.
Mirzoyan had a meeting with Ms. Hanke Bruins Slot, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, where they discussed issues on the agenda of the Armenia-EU partnership and emphasized the importance of the continuous development of cooperation in various directions, including for further strengthening Armenia’s resilience.
Mirzoyan also participated in a round-table discussion at the Clingendael Institute of International Relations, where he presented the current security situation in the South Caucasus and the peculiarities of the normalization process of the Armenia-Azerbaijan relations. He emphasized the need for unequivocal recognition of territorial integrity and ensuring maximum clarity for further delimitation process based on the Alma-Ata Declaration and the most recent maps of the USSR General Staff.
Finally, Mirzoyan had a meeting with the President of the International Criminal Court Piotr Hofmański, where they exchanged views on issues related to the implementation of the Rome Statute, the court’s founding document. Mirzoyan emphasized that Armenia, as a country that has been facing the severe consequences of impunity in the region, is well aware of the imperative to combine efforts in order to fight against continuous impunity and prevent crimes against humanity.
Overall, Mirzoyan’s visit to the Netherlands was significant in strengthening Armenia’s bilateral relations with the Netherlands, expanding the Armenian-Dutch bilateral agenda and political dialogue, and discussing the perspectives of cooperation in various directions, including for further strengthening Armenia’s resilience.
